Could Aaron Rodgers retire before the 2021 NFL season?

Aaron Rodgers with the Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers with the Green Bay Packers

With training camp just a few weeks away, the saga between Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers still has no end in sight.

With Rodgers in Hawaii instead of OTAs in Green Bay this week, could the quarterback make his vacation permanent before the start of the new season?

Aaron Rodgers could retire like Brett Favre

Aaron Rodgers made it clear this week while talking to ESPN's Kenny Mayne that he isn't a fan of the Packers' front office. He also said that everything is on the table regarding his football career.

Rodgers clearly isn't training and his extended vacation could mean he doesn't plan on taking the field in 2021. If he does retire before the upcoming season, he will have to forfeit his $6,800,000 signing bonus that he was paid earlier this year.

But if Aaron Rodgers does retire in 2021, that doesn't mean his NFL career will be over. He could do what former Packers quarterback Brett Favre did in 2008.

At the time Favre had retired but then decided to return to the game. However, he did so when there was no room for him on the roster. The Packers built the team around Rodgers and drafted quarterbacks for depth, leaving Favre as the odd man out.

When Favre decided he wanted to return, he eventually forced the Packers to trade him. Aaron Rodgers could do the same.

If he were to retire before the 2021 season, Jordan Love would obviously be the starter for the Packers. Rodgers could wait until after the Packers have created their quarterback depth and the season has started. Or he could just wait until next offseason.

At that point, if Aaron Rodgers decides to return to the game, he could ask for his release from the Packers or demand a trade. But while he remains retired, Rodgers won't be able to talk to other teams about a potential trade in the future. If he does, the Packers could file tampering charges.

Aaron Rodgers hasn't made any decisions as of yet. He did say that anything could happen and that money wasn't the issue. So waiting out a year wouldn't be a problem for him.

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